Salisbury Steaks with Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, and Corn on the Cob

Tonight's dinner was Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. My husband has been asking me for the last two weeks to make Salisbury steaks. We used to eat the On-Cor variety which he would  prefer, but I am adamant in our transition to home cooked meals as they contain less preservatives, etc. than the prepackaged variety. He said he would take either so I made sure I had the ingredients I needed on my grocery list and penciled it to our meal plan for the week.

I use the recipe that the Pioneer Woman has on her blog. I've come to love her blog and she has made cooking seem so much easier. I still can't believe I put off cooking like this for so long. I've copied the recipe from her blog, but all credit goes to her! I've edited the recipe to accommodate the few changes I have made.

When I made this recipe tonight, I used only a pound of beef, but kept everything else the same. I diced my onions and I did use cornstarch to thicken the gravy a bit. Now I know for some it may seem like so many ingredients, but several of the ingredients are things that get used across several recipes and become kind of a household staple like salt and pepper. Breadcrumbs, dry mustard, beef bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and corn starch are something I almost always have on hand unless I run out so I just have to get beef both, an onion, and ground beef. Even with the onion I usually buy several at a time and have in my fridge because we use onion often.

For the mashed potatoes, I simply peel and boil potatoes (no set amount usually 5-6-7 depending on size) and I boil them for about 20-25 minutes on high. I then add milk and butter and mash it all up. If you like thicker potatoes, probably less milk and butter. I like them creamy so it's probably 1/2-3/4 cup a milk (like I said I don't measure) and about half a stick of butter. It's one of the few things I just eyeball and don't do exact measurements. Add salt and pepper to taste. My husband prefers garlic salt.

For the corn on the cob, I simply finish husking the cobs and then boil them for about 10 minutes on high. Then I serve with butter.

No picture tonight as I didn't think of starting this blog until after I made dinner tonight, but the Pioneer Woman's blog as several pictures.

Printable Recipe

MEAT MIXTURE

• 1-1/2 pound Lean Ground Beef
• 1/2 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
• 1 cube Beef Bouillon, Crumbed (or Powdered Beef Base)
• 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• Salt And Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, For Frying
• 1 Tablespoon Butter, For Frying

GRAVY

• 1 whole Onion, Halved And Thinly Sliced (or Diced If You Prefer)
• 2 cups Beef Broth
• 4 dashes Worcestershire (additional)
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup (additional)
• 1 teaspoon Corn Starch Mixed With A Little Beef Broth To Make A Thin Paste
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the meat mixture and knead until all combined. Form into 4 to 6 oval patties, then make lines across the patties to give them a "steak" appearance.

Fry in a skillet with oil and butter over medium-high heat on both sides until no longer pink in the middle. Remove from the pan and pour off excess grease.

Reduce the heat to medium and add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook for several minutes, or until golden brown and somewhat soft. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, and ketchup. Stir and cook to reduce.

OPTIONAL: Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch/broth mixture to give the gravy a little gloss and to thicken it up a bit without lightening it (as flour would.)

**Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and more broth if needed for thinning.

Return the steaks to the gravy. Spoon gravy over the top and let them simmer and heat back up for a couple of minutes.